Tentative happy dancing

[Owlie]

Got the e-mail yesterday afternoon--one of the grad schools I applied to wants to interview me! I'm a little surprised, as they didn't get the last recommendation letter until the day before.

Their recruitment event is pretty long--day one consists of poster sessions, interviews and talking with current graduate students. Day two is a campus tour and some fun things, then a "reception."

I need to actually tell them I'm showing up and then make travel arrangements, and then figure out what I'm supposed to be wearing for day two. Can you tell I don't dress up much?

[OakLeaf]

Congrats on getting this far, and good luck on the interview!

Let me add one thing you might not be prepared for: stamina.

I once had a job interview (series of interviews with various personnel, actually) that lasted on the order of six hours. I was doing really well for about the first four hours. Then I just ran out of steam. Someone else got the offer. I think if I'd been better prepared for something that was going to last that long, I might have been less keyed up first thing in the morning, better able to pace myself. Maybe.

[bhashiguchi]

good luck with the interview- grad school is both awesome and scary. What type of degree are you going for? im working on my dissertation in sociology, hoping to get a job interview this spring, so hopefully I will be in your shoes soon.

as for dress: be professional, but don't go way out of your comfort zone, you don't want to be uncomfortable in your clothes and make yourself more you more nervous or anxious. also, wear comfortable shoes! it's a must.

[indysteel]

Good luck, Owlie! Keep us posted!

[hebe]

Good luck!

[Catrin]

This is great news, good luck! My own entrance into grad school did not really involve an interview process so I can't provide additional advice. Please keep us posted!

[YogiT]

Defnitely suit up! It is better to show up in nice pants and button down shirt with a cardigan or jacket than not. It shows you are really interested and serious.

Congrats and good luck on the interview. What do you want to do in grad school?

[TsPoet]

I need to actually tell them I'm showing up and then make travel arrangements, and then figure out what I'm supposed to be wearing for day two. Can you tell I don't dress up much?

Back in the dark ages when I went through that, I had 2 days of nice clothes and was leaving late on day 3. I thought I'd check out the town (Tucson). One of my many many many interviews had to cancel, and he asked if I could come to his office early on day 3 for our interview. I said 'no, I only brought 2 days of nice clothes'. Years later he told me that they all discussed that when they were decided whether or not to offer me a slot, and for about 1/2 the committee it was a positive that they all enjoyed laughing about, they decided to let me in because I had character.

[malkin]

Doesn't it depend a bit on your field?

[Crankin]

I had to go on a group interview (one professor and 5 candidates) for admission to the counseling psych program I am in. A lot of it was to see how you acted in a group. I really worried about what to wear. I knew that therapists do not necessarily wear suits, but I wanted to look professional. I ended up wearing a black skirt and LS shirt, with my brown full zip Shak and a black scarf. So, I had a jacket on, but it wasn't a suit jacket.
The funniest part of this story is that one of the other candidates was a very tall and striking woman in her early 30s/late 20s. She wore a very short plaid skirt, ripped fishnet stockings, and very heavy make-up.
Needless to say, she did not get in.

[tangentgirl]

Owlie, congrats on the interview, and good luck!

Day 1: skirt, nice tshirt of one color, suit jacket
Day 2: pants, nice tshirt of a different color, same suit jacket
Bonus camoflauge: scarf on one of the days